This year marks the 5th consecutive year that CoreNet Global New England and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI) have partnered with The Commercial Real Estate Success Training (CREST). CREST is a paid internship program designed to introduce those historically underrepresented in corporate and commercial real estate to these industries in the New England region.
This year, CoreNet Global New England created ten mentor/mentee relationships with leaders in the local Corporate Real Estate Industry and CREST interns. Seven of the 26 students who interned this summer with the CREST Program from June 13 to August 12, 2022, interned with CoreNet Global New England Corporate Partners or Founders Circle Sponsor organizations, including J. Calnan & Associates, JLL, Liberty Mutual, CBRE, Hobbs Brook Real Estate and more.
Linoy Noikas, a 2022 CREST intern and student at UMASS Amherst studying Building and Construction Technology with a secondary major in Economics stated “I had an amazing experience being a part of the CREST Internship Program and the CoreNet Global New England Chapter. I am truly grateful for this wonderful opportunity, and I hope to continue my experience with CoreNet Global in the future, further expanding my network and knowledge in Corporate Real Estate.”
CREST works with partner firms to recruit the right intern for real estate organizations and provides ongoing support and skills development training throughout their internship. CREST facilitates connections between academic institutions, employers and qualified college juniors, seniors and graduate students through a comprehensive recruitment process and leadership program that includes a curriculum of classes and activities about the corporate and commercial real estate industries.
Maureen Rystrom, CoreNet Global New England Chapter President noted: “We are passionate about growing and expanding our already strong partnership with CREST. As a designated ‘CREST Champion’, CoreNet Global New England is proud to help educate program interns and CREST alumni about careers in corporate real estate, supporting the program financially by subsidizing the cost of hosting a CREST Intern for up to four of our Corporate Partners and providing a complimentary CoreNet Global New England student membership to all of the CREST interns.”
Student memberships with CoreNet Global New England provide the CREST interns the opportunity to attend programs created by the Chapter and access resources provided by CoreNet Global. Membership gives the students the same access and opportunities as other professional members to network and attend educational programs that support their professional development and future careers in real estate.
“The multi-year relationship CREST has with CoreNet Global New England has been outstanding and gets better each year. Diversity, equity, and inclusion in corporate and commercial real estate is truly enhanced when the CREST interns are employed over the summer by CoreNew Global New England members,” said Milton Benjamin, the Founder of The Commercial Real Estate Success Training (CREST) and President and Founder of KAGE Growth Strategies, LLC. “Additionally, the mentorship of the interns by CoreNet Global New England members over the summer stands out as one of the most valuable experiences they had as a number of the interns noted that their personal professional maturity resulted from the mentorship.”
About The CoreNet Global New England Chapter
The New England Chapter of CoreNet Global represents the best and brightest in the region’s corporate real estate industry. Our Chapter’s 500+ members are passionate about advancing the organization’s mission to connect real estate professionals, end users and service providers to advance knowledge, promote personal excellence and add value to each individual and their respective enterprises. We are part of the non-profit association CoreNet Global, which represents nearly 10,000 executives in 50 countries with strategic responsibility for the real estate assets of large corporations.
About The Commercial Real Estate Success Training (CREST) Program
The Commercial Real Estate Success Training (CREST), is a paid internship program designed to introduce people of color and women, both of whom are typically underrepresented, to the commercial real estate industry. Through CREST, firms in the commercial real estate industry in Boston had the opportunity to expand their base of potential long term employees from a diverse pool of highly qualified college students studying in the Boston area.
CREST facilitates connections between academic institutions, employers and qualified college junior, seniors and graduate students through a comprehensive recruitment process that includes an itinerary of information and activities about the commercial real estate industry. The goal is to diversify the commercial real estate industry.
